Tuesday, 28 March 2017

HUGE apologies - we should have been making a vst and pants set for our dolly - between the poorly doggie and my stinking cold - I am running late. It's in work - but I can't see me getting to finish it this week. - - The world is just not on my side at the moment

Friday, 24 March 2017

There have always been 2 knitting stitches that have fascinated me and I have wanted to try out.This is teddy bear stitch - I just could not fathom how the loops were created and how they stayed there with out snagging everywhere.

actually - it's not all that hard! It is a bit fiddly - yes - got to admit that - and you have to concentrate and watch the needles - but it's all done with a knit stitch - looping the yarn round your thumb and there is a brilliant way you 'lock' the loop in place so it stays secure.1 - knit the first stitch2 - knit the next stitch - but don't take the stitch off the left hand needle3 - bring the yarn under the needle to the front4 - wrap the yarn round your thumb5 - knit into the same stitch again and slip it off the needle6 - pick up the first knit stitch you worked and lift it over the second - this locks the loop.work a plain knit stitchrepeat the loop stitch.work along the row alternating a loop with a plain knit stitch.work a plain knit row.work another loop row working the loop stitch over where you did a plain knit stitch before so you get a staggered fur effect.brilliant for teddies - sheep - hedgehog backs - etc.You can work it on any already written pattern because it's just an addition to the fabric - not a change in the actual workings.Lovekitten

Thursday, 23 March 2017

I have finally 'finished' my living space. Kind of cut corner as I decided not to strip the window ledge and repaint it at the moment - perhaps later in the summer when I have a bit more strength.So - last wall - everything washed and back in place. it's so cosy and snug - and it's such a boost to be all fresh and clean after living in a tip for all this time.

Tuesday, 21 March 2017

I get a lot of people asking - what have you got to thread something on? - - So today I thought we would try to break that down a bit for you.Waxed Cotton (and hemp) - this is the cheapest option - and the most often used for all the 'hippie' - 'Indian' - 'ethnic' - 'native' type jewellery. Nothing wrong with it - it's a natural product with a rustic look and feel - comfortable to wear - and for the maker - cheap to buy and easy to use. It comes in loads of colours - is very soft to use and thread with - and is usually about 1mm in thickness (you can plait 3 strands together for a thicker strand). It is fairly consistent in it's quality - bear in mind - it is a natural product so there will be the odd variation or a bit of fluffing along the thread occasionally. The down side - it does wear through quite quickly, it will not stand up to continual, everyday, heavy wear, and it is not suitable for threading rough stones, metal or agates onto. But you can turn that into an add on selling opportunity by offering a re-threading service. Repair / re-thread xx price - and re-service items bought from you at a discount.Super strong - so what options do you have for beads with smaller holes, rough stones, and strands that take a lot of wear? Then you go with a synthetic thread. They are a little more of a fiddle as they fray - so you will need a threader of some sort - but they do come in several thicknesses - right down to sewing thread type thickness. The thread may look fragile when it's this thin - but trust me - if it's a proper synthetic beading thread - it will be super strong. I sell it to hobby upholsterers because they can pull on it so hard and it won't break! These types of thread are mostly white as the thread is not designed to shop - but there is black and a few other colour options availableLeather / suede thonging- basically posh ethnic threading - usually black, brown or tan - several thicknesses good for large statement pieces of glass, metal, ceramics. Down falls - pricy and can wear through surprisingly quickly.silk - very expensive, very hard to find these days - mostly used for string cultured pearls because it is soft enough not to damage them. Only available in white these days - and a couple of thicknesses. tiger tail - simple put tiger tail is a thin strand of wire (comes in different thicknesses) with a plastic coating over it ( comes in loads of colours) - used mostly with crimp beads for invisible / floating necklaces and window hangers where you want the threading to show.elastic - it always makes me giggle - coloured, clear elastic - if it's coloured - it's not clear! Used for stretchy bracelets - the round clear is the best - comes in a couple of thicknesses. There is coloured available - not such a good quality - and fairly thin - use several strands together.rat tail / mouse tail - a bit like the woven cords on blinds - but very soft and silky. Rat tail is thicker than mouse - used for macrame - friendship bracelets - shamballa etcand other odd stuff - ribbons - fine chain - bakers twine - stranded embroidery threadfinally one tiny tip. - seal any end knotting with a bit of clear nail varnish - or a tiny spot of uhu type glue - NEVER use supergluesAny questions - just email meLovekitten

Saturday, 18 March 2017

It's been a really tough week one way or another this week. I am very sore and tired - it has been very quiet in the town - and the dog is still stressed out. So all-in-all - not the most productive time.I have done another direction on my journal page. I am really surprised that the ink has not run into itself more - normally it is so reactive to any damp about that makes it spread.I have only done 2 verses today - my arms are so sore I can't face anymore.

Tuesday, 14 March 2017

The idea behind this series is to expand your knowledge and build your
confidence by tackling new techniques with small, simple projects. Each square knits up to the same size and has
the same border frame so that you can sew them together and make larger
projects. 4 sewn in a square make the
front of a cushion – back with another 4 squares or plain fabric. Several in a row will make a scarf – 3 x 3 or
4 will make a baby blanket – 4 x 6 or 8 will make a lap throw - or go the whole
hog and make a bed throw. You can make
each square the same pattern – you can make each square different – you can
create your own design by placing the squares in a pattern – knit in 1 colour –
knit the rainbow - just experiment – shout me if you get stuck – and have fun.

The squares worked in DK measure about 4 ½” square – and the larger ones
8” square. You could use 3 strands of DK
together – working on 8mm knitting needles – and the square will be bigger

You will need;

1 strand of double knitting to be worked on 4mm knitting needles – about
12g

Or 2 strands of double knitting (equal to chunky weight yarn) to be
worked on 6mm knitting needles – about 20g

·If you are using the double knitting weight of
yarn, then use 2 strands together throughout.

·If you are using the chunky weight of yarn, then
use 1 strand throughout.

I use Robin double knitting 100% acrylic yarn for
all my knitting work. If you are using
pure wool, or a wool mix you will need more as the yarn is heavier.

**** This is my own original work. Use it for your own use or for charity
selling. Use it to inspire you, and to
lead you on to other projects. But,
please do not resell the pattern as your own workings. It takes me years of learning, and months of
work to produce a final pattern.

Sunday, 12 March 2017

Bit of a muddle here in kitten's world at the moment - the little guy is a bit poorly and - or course - everything else has stopped!!!Henry has a bad tooth. I know something has been bothering him for a couple of weeks - but he kept saying it was all fine and eating his Bonios - and I could not find anything. Well - he totally went off all his food except his Caesar and his Bonio - and then I finally spotted it - his very last tooth on his top jaw has a cavity. so we are off to the vet in the morning to get it sorted. Wish him luckLovekitten

Thursday, 9 March 2017

In all my sewing life I have never made a pair of gloves. Actually - I don't even think that it was a realistic thing to do!I was asked by So-Sew-Easy to test run their new glove pattern - how cool is that!!!This is a free pattern from the So-Sew-Easy team so you can see how they work and test out the ideasThis is the glove pattern I used - Easy Glove Pattern - there are 3 sizes and you can make the gloves is either a fleece or a cotton spandex fabric - hay fleece is what we do all the time and it's our anniversary - so I decided to make the large size - in a real 'bloke' looking fleece.I made these -

Hands up - the pattern terrified me!!!! But actually - if you just follow along and do what it says through all the steps - it actually works. It is a bit fiddly when you work round the ends of the fingers - but fitting the thumbs in was so easy. I got in a bit of a pickle when the cuffs were added and I did get confused - so I fitted them the same way that I fit the funnel necks on my fleece dog tops - yeah I know - cheating - but I was way out of my comfort zone to start with and managed to make the gloves!The old goat love them - and actually does wear them when he takes the dog out for the morning walk - result!Lovekitten

Tuesday, 7 March 2017

The first project Tuesday on the month is the kit. This is my first jewellery type project - so it's a bit different. I have the kits with all the materials in the shop - but if you want to copy the instructions are below. This is the project.

Saturday, 4 March 2017

Well it took several days days to get the phone line sorted - but we are back up and running again. It's been so frustrating not being able to work properly.I spent the afternoon working on my practice page. I have turned the page upside down - worked in turquoise

the ink is not bleeding into the new colour at all - which is really interesting - I had expected it to blot together.

I have erased all the guidelines and now I am working the long side of the page. I wanted to do a green - but this is the closest I have. It is a viridian from the winsor and newton drawing ink range - but it is very old so it has probably changed colour - but in the interests of decluttering and finishing up what we have - I resisted the urge to drop into Malcolm's (Iridium - 3 doors down from me) to pick up a bottle of green Diamine ink - I just adore this ink - it's the best I have ever used! - But we are using up stuff - so I have been good! GRRRRRRR.

It's really looking fun now. Next week I am going to go the other way with a different colour